1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp, in which a linear light guide serving as a light-emitting object is accommodated in a lamp chamber defined by an outer cover and a lamp body and in particular to a vehicular lamp configured so that it appears as if the linear light guide is continuous at the point, at which portions of the linear light guide are adjacent to each other.
2. Description of Related Art
Examples of the vehicular lamp, such as a clearance lamp and a day time running lamp, for making drivers of the cars in the opposite lane and others recognize the host vehicle include a lamp, in which light source light is reflected by a reflector to distribute the light, and a lamp, in which light source light is diffused by the steps on a lens to distribute the light.
In recent years, a lamp is available, in which light source light is introduced into a linear light guide and is emitted through the entire side surface of the light guide. This kind of lamp is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2009-295552 (JP-A-2009-295552) (paragraph 0028, FIG. 2), in which a linear light guide made of synthetic resin and a light emitting diode (LED), serving as a light source, that is disposed at an end portion of the light guide are used to emit light, the light guide being disposed in a loop shape so as to be offset from the luminous region of (an)other light source unit(s), such as the headlamp and the turn signal lamp (so as not to interfere with the formation of light distribution by (an)other light source unit(s)).
In JP-A-2009-295552, in order to dispose the light guide so as to be offset from the luminous region of the (an)other light source unit(s), a loop shape is formed by crossing end portions of an elongated linear light guide.
Thus, first, the appearance is impaired because the intersection portion of the light guide can be seen through the outer cover when the LEDs are unlit. Second, since the intersection portion of the light guide is brighter than the other portion and it does not appear as if the entire light guide is uniformly emitting light, the sense of continuity or unity of the entire light guide is not provided (the light guide does not look like a continuous light-emitting object).